In today's competitive advertising landscape, staying ahead of trends is crucial for making informed brand decisions and achieving impactful business results. AdNews, in partnership with Pinterest, explores the nature of trends, the rise of ‘trendspotting’ and how savvy marketers can tap into what will be big in culture next year.
The landscape of trends today is growing 4.4 times faster since 2018 and is 14 times more volatile1, meaning trends are reaching their peak and eventual decline faster than ever.
As companies try to keep up with a relentless effort to maintain currency, marketers are feeling the heat too, because trends move so fast that the second brands jump on the bandwagon, it’s already peaked.
This can dilute the trend's impact, making brands seem outdated rather than timely, and when companies chase these short-lived trends to appear culturally in tune or ‘go viral’, they risk blending in with countless others doing the same.
Part of the reason behind this sped-up cycle is due to the rise of short-form video2, identified by 18 to 42-year-olds as the top reason they believe trends move so quickly3. This easily digestible content is designed to go viral, and with both influencers and brands perpetuating this by posting swathes of bite-sized videos, the marketing landscape appears to be further leaning into embracing this short-termism as the norm.
Not all trends are created equal, though – there’s a stark difference between a fleeting fad and something that’s both real and durable, designed to stand the test of time against the waves of uncertainty and consumer shifts currently hitting the market.
This is where ‘trendspotting’ comes in - identifying emerging trends and using them to inform strategic decision making. Trendspotters are forecasters, using expertise and data to provide insights into what will likely be popular in the future, not what’s ‘cool’ just for today
For a platform like Pinterest, and its annual ‘not-yet-trending’ Pinterest Predicts report, this ties in to a global community of over half a billion4 people spanning Gen-Z, Millennials, Gen-X and Boomers who flock to the site with measurable intent.
The annual Pinterest Predicts report is built from analysing the keywords for billions of Pinterest searches before using visual search technology to spot emerging visual patterns across the platform. With a boost from machine learning, emerging trend clusters begin to be identified before an external partner reviews the working list to ensure inclusivity and global representation.
Pinterest also uses a mix of predictive analytics and platform engagement signals to ensure that the trends have staying power and over the last five years, 80% of the service’s predictions came true5. Pinterest trends also last nearly twice longer than trends originating elsewhere6, growing bigger over time7.
It’s been said that trends move in five stages: introduction, rise, peak, decline and obsolescence.
Pinterest is able to catch its audience earlier, even before the introduction stage - when they’re planning - rather than the rise or peak, when they’re already posting it (or seeing it) on other platforms.
Pinterest Predicts is the gateway to authentic, durable and actionable trends that outshine fleeting fads, helping consumers know what’s big in culture next and brands to know how to leverage them for impactful business results.
Explore the report in full on the business site to discover 2025’s Pinterest Predicts.
1 Source: Signoi Social Analytics, Quantitative and Qualitative Research commissioned by Pinterest; US, UK, and DE, A18-42, March 2024, based on Google search of trends and related concepts
2 Signoi Social Analytics, Quantitative and Qualitative Research commissioned by Pinterest; US, UK, and DE, monthly Pinterest usersA18-42, March 2024
3 Signoi Social Analytics, Quantitative and Qualitative Research commissioned by Pinterest; US, UK, and DE, A18-42, Gen Z (18-27) Millennials (28-42) March 2024
4 Source: Pinterest analysis, global, Q2 2024
5 Source: Predicts 2025 Messaging + Research Architecture
6 Source: Signoi Social Analytics, commissioned by Pinterest. Quantitative and qualitative research with monthly Pinterest users aged 18–42. DE, UK, US, Jan 2018–Mar 2024.
7 Source: Pinterest internal analysis, global, comparing Jul 2022–Jun 2023 vs Jul 2023–Jun 2024. Includes searches, saves and Product Pin outbound clicks for related searches and topics.
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